Immortality and cultivation begin with drawing talismans...

Chapter 130 Mortgaging the Spirit Field
Night falls.

Shen Lie wasn't stupid. Hu Jin was clearly only coming because of Lin Chang'an, and didn't think he was really taking on this favor.

However, Lao Hu is a generous man, and the congratulatory gift he gave was quite substantial.

This prompted Shen Lie to hastily decline, and in the end, he could only express his gratitude.

"That old Hu."

Seeing Lao Hu's behavior, Lin Chang'an felt a warmth in his heart. Lao Hu was generous and had a bottom line in his behavior.

Li Erniu also brought his whole family to the wedding banquet, a rare occasion for them to reunite.

Meanwhile, the younger generation sat at one table.

However, seeing Erniu's gray hair and the marks of time, Lin Chang'an felt a pang of emotion.

Finally, the banquet ended, leaving only their two tables.

"Fan'er, Yingying, why don't you toast your Uncle Lin?"

Shen Fan and Wei Yingying, dressed in red robes, respectfully offered a toast, a scene that made Li Erniu extremely envious.

He had his eye on this girl back then, but unfortunately his son was a disappointment.

"Uncle Lin."

Seeing the two younger people offering toasts, Lin Chang'an smiled and nodded, finally taking out a gift as an elder to greet them.

However, when Lin Chang'an took out the gift, Shen Lie, Lu Qingqing, and Wei Buyi hurriedly waved their hands and said:
"Brother Lin, this is too precious."

It turned out that Lin Chang'an had given him two high-grade magic artifacts. The Azure Phosphorus Needle was something he had bought at the market, and the Mysterious Iron Shield was a gift from Master Ge Fu.

However, Lin Chang'an smiled and shook his head, saying, "These Azure Phosphorus Needles and Black Iron Shield were my protective magic weapons when I was in the Qi Refining stage, and I no longer need them."

"I hope that you two will not fail your parents' kindness in raising you, and also this cultivation experience. I hope you will cultivate diligently in the future."

Upon seeing Lin Chang'an's generous gift, Shen Fan and Wei Yingying nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, Uncle Lin."

Wei Yingying also cultivates the Everlasting Spring Technique. A few years ago, he taught this girl the Wood Spirit Thorn technique that Yun Yao had given him.

Now, with this superior magical artifact, I have a means of protection.

He concealed the congratulatory gift that Yun Yao had sent by claiming it was a cultivation insight.

This girl is extremely clever; once she finds out, she will definitely keep it a secret.

"Thank you, Uncle Lin."

Wei Yingying pulled Shen Fan along and bowed gratefully. What might not have meant much to Lin Chang'an was a significant gift to the two of them.

"Thank you very much, Uncle Lin." The kind-hearted Shen Fan nodded solemnly in gratitude, and he would definitely repay Uncle Lin's great kindness in the future.

Lin Chang'an then smiled and toasted with everyone, while the younger generation sat at another table.

Yun Yao's matter involves too many things.

People's lives are stable now, but knowing too much is not necessarily a good thing.

Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

"Brother Lin, I really admire you. Among us, apart from the little princess, only you, Brother Lin, have reached the Foundation Establishment stage."

After drinking too much, Li Erniu couldn't help but sigh, but when he mentioned the little princess, everyone's expressions darkened.

Over the years, there has been no news of Yun Yao from Li Huo Palace; it is only rumored that she has perished.

"Come, come, I think Sister Yun is blessed by the heavens. She must have encountered a great opportunity, but she just hasn't returned yet."

Finally, Lu Qingqing smiled and changed the subject, and everyone reminisced about their experiences over the years.

Realizing he had said the wrong thing, Li Erniu looked at everyone with shame, downed three cups in a row, and then sat down.

Time flies. From their first meeting in their youth to their journey through the trials and tribulations of the cultivation world, almost fifty years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Everyone is getting old, with more gray hair at their temples, especially Wei Buyi, who suffered a loss of vitality in his early years and looks even older.

However, as everyone toasted and drank, Lin Chang'an was filled with emotion.

The regrets that the older generation couldn't fulfill, they all want the next generation to complete in their place.

"I didn't realize Zhou Yifan had grown up so much."

At the banquet, Lin Chang'an was filled with emotion. Zhou Yifan was already thirty-four years old and had just broken through to the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Although Erniu was doing well in the Zhou family, he was still worried about the Foundation Establishment matter. In contrast, Zhou Yifan was very opinionated.

Erniu told me that Zhou Yifan has joined the demon-hunting team.

Lin Chang'an was filled with emotion at the sight of someone at the eighth level of Qi Refining at the age of thirty-four.

While the presence of a mid-grade spiritual root aptitude is certainly a factor, the more important reason lies in Tianxuan City and their original Qingzhushan Market.

Whether it's spiritual energy or resources, they're not even in the same league.
To use a mundane analogy, the Qingzhu Mountain market town was once a poor, remote mountain village, producing only a handful of Foundation Establishment cultivators over the years.
Tianxuan City, on the other hand, was the capital city, and there were fewer than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators there that year.

This is why, even though they knew that Tianxuan City was in turmoil, all the independent cultivators in the world still flocked there like madmen.

There's no other reason than that, in places as rich in spiritual energy as Tianxuan City, not to mention the Yue Kingdom, even among the seven great kingdoms, only these major sects or Golden Core families can enjoy such a place.

"If we had a place like Tianxuan City, a place of spiritual energy for cultivation, things might have been different."

At the dinner table, Li Erniu, after drinking too much, blurted out his true feelings with a drunken expression.

This also distracted him from his feeling of being all alone today, but the two had never gotten along, and Wei Buyi glared at him and said sarcastically:

"Dream on! Are you still not satisfied and haven't even tried Foundation Establishment?"

"What! You don't dare to think about Foundation Establishment, but can't you even think about the ninth level of Qi Refining? Today is Yingying's big day, so I won't lower myself to your level."

The two men, both nearing seventy, were bickering at the dinner table, prompting everyone to shake their heads in disbelief.

However, among the group, Erniu had initially been determined to cultivate to the ninth level of Qi Refining, but as he had more children, his ambition gradually faded.

Looking at his smiling daughter, Wei Buyi couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. As long as his daughter was doing well, he was willing to give away his fortune.

Anyway, he was going to give it to his daughter, so it definitely wouldn't be a child with the surname Shen.

Shen Lie was the happiest. He had never dared to dream of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage; he only wanted to build a family business. Now, he could say that his life was complete.

"Alright, you're all getting on in years, don't let the younger generation laugh at you."

Finally, Lu Qingqing stepped in to smooth things over, lest the younger generation really make a fool of themselves.

From the very beginning, Lu Qingqing only wanted to live a peaceful life, and now it has been proven that her choice was not wrong.

Seeing this, Lin Chang'an nodded with satisfaction. Life is always full of regrets and joys.

However, Lin Chang'an inadvertently glanced at the scene outside and saw a white-clad figure in a tavern in the distance, raising a toast to them from thin air.

Lin Chang'an's lips curled up. Yun Yao had come after all, but she hadn't shown herself.

……

After returning to his cave, Lin Chang'an looked at his reflection in the water and couldn't help but sigh.

"The fact that time leaves no trace is one of the temptations for cultivators."

He hadn't realized it before, but this time, seeing his juniors Shen Fan and Wei Yingying getting married, and his old friends with gray hair, he was deeply moved.

This made Lin Chang'an feel a sense of loneliness once again on the path of cultivation.

His once inseparable friends were gradually drifting away. As time passed, even Erniu and Shen Lie showed more respect in their words and actions. He also knew that as time went on, more and more friends would fall behind him and drift further and further away.

I just never imagined that this day would come so soon.

Otherwise, Lu Qingqing wouldn't have instructed Wei Yingying so early on to bring Shen Fan, this honest young man, to visit her during holidays.

Interpersonal relationships need to be maintained; otherwise, even the deepest affections from the previous generation will gradually fade with time.

"You have all found your own path in life, but my journey has just begun, and I still have a long way to go."

Lin Chang'an's eyes gradually hardened. The road ahead was long; he would become a Golden Core cultivator and a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

He couldn't let down his talent and this ancient opportunity.

In the time that followed, Lin Chang'an resumed his usual arduous cultivation routine, including practicing martial arts, drawing talismans, and secretly refining pills.

He could see directional improvement, and he actually enjoyed this kind of arduous practice.

Unlike other Foundation Establishment cultivators who initially cultivate diligently but whose cultivation stagnates over time, this is a cultivation path where no future can be seen.

This eventually led countless cultivators to become disheartened, gradually letting go of their obsessions and turning to enjoying life, or having children and passing on their regrets to the next generation.

……

[Second-Tier Mid-Grade Talisman Master (Proficiency 503/1000)]

Inside the cave, Lin Chang'an showed a satisfied expression after drawing a mid-grade second-tier talisman.

"The improvement speed of a second-tier mid-grade talisman master is not slow. In eight years, he has increased his experience by half. In another eight years, he can break through to the second-tier high-grade talisman master."

In less than twenty years, he advanced from a mid-grade second-tier talisman master to a high-grade talisman master. In the eyes of outsiders, his comprehension of talismanic arts was definitely not bad, and he could be considered a genius.

"Second-tier high-grade talisman masters are among the best in Tianxuan City, and their talent in skill far surpasses that of spiritual root talent, which would be a cause for concern."

With a broad smile, Lin Chang'an made no attempt to conceal his talent in the art of talismans.

After all, his spiritual root aptitude was already poor. If he were to conceal his talent in the talisman, he would truly become a pig.

Only by demonstrating appropriate value can one access higher circles.

"More importantly, the barrier-breaking talisman that Yun Yao brought earlier is of a higher grade, which gives us a greater chance of success."

He wouldn't sell the barrier-breaking talisman; it would easily attract unwanted attention.

"According to Yun Yao, the secret realm will not open for another twenty years, which is enough time for me to upgrade my talisman skills to the second-tier high grade."

He estimated that he was still a bit short of reaching the third rank, but he was certain that he would reach the second rank of superior quality.

"My alchemy skills are also about to break through. When I have second-grade mid-level pills to enhance my cultivation, I'm sure it will help me break through even faster."

[Second-Tier Low-Grade Alchemist (Proficient 97/100)]

Looking at his progress in his skills, Lin Chang'an pondered silently.

The difficulty increases with each minor advancement. It took him five years to advance from a second-tier low-grade talisman master to a mid-grade one.

He has been a second-tier low-grade alchemist for eight years now, not because he hasn't put in enough effort in alchemy.

Rather, his public identity is that of a talisman master. He can openly discuss increasing his experience with other talisman masters after the trade fair, and occasionally even purchase some talisman master tips.

Unlike alchemists, who need to hide their abilities, their progress will naturally be slower.

At this moment, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but think of Yun Yao's magical artifact that could change one's appearance and even aura, and couldn't help but show a look of envy.

"If I also had this rare magical artifact, perhaps many things would be much more convenient."

Unfortunately, such rare spiritual artifacts are extremely hard to come by.

Just then, Chen Qing's voice came from inside the cave, which startled Lin Chang'an.

Since their last falling out, although they are still neighbors, they haven't had any contact for many years.

I wonder what brings you here this time.

Outside the cave.

"Fellow Daoist Lin."

As the array barrier opened, Lin Chang'an was somewhat surprised to see Chen Qing.

After many years, Chen Qing, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was found to have completely gray hair and a hunched posture, clearly indicating that he had damaged his vital energy and greatly reduced his lifespan.

Otherwise, given Chen Qing's age, which is considered young among Foundation Establishment cultivators, how could he suddenly have so much white hair?

Even his expression looked much more haggard.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, what's going on?"

Looking at the still youthful Lin Chang'an, Chen Qing coughed weakly twice, his face filled with undisguised envy, and then waved his hand and sighed deeply.

"I was unlucky. I was planning the foundation building for the younger generation when I encountered a tribulation cultivator outside. If it weren't for good luck, this old body of mine would have almost not made it back."

After Lin Chang'an invited Chen Qing into the pavilion, listening to Chen Qing's words, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but feel a deep sense of melancholy.

Unexpectedly, Chen Wen and Chen Feng had already reached the age of preparing to establish their foundations.

Chen Wen is thirty-nine years old this year, and Chen Feng is thirty-eight years old. Both of them have already begun to prepare for the Foundation Establishment stage at this age, which makes Lin Chang'an sigh.

At this age, being able to establish one's foundation is partly due to good spiritual root aptitude, but even more so due to good cultivation resources.

Back in the Qingzhushan market, Zhou Tieshan of the Zhou family also achieved Qi Refining Perfection before he turned forty.

This is not to say that Zhou Tieshan's talent was inferior to the two, but rather because the resources of their cultivation places were different.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, it is already a blessing that you have returned."

Facing Chen Qing, Lin Chang'an remained indifferent, after all, their relationship had only been that of neighbors before, let alone now.

Looking at Lin Chang'an in his prime, Chen Qing couldn't help but feel envious.

Even though they are both at the Foundation Establishment stage, the difference in their status as a second-tier rune master is already apparent.

Just like his Foundation Establishment family, compared with the Zhou family, the lack of foundation cannot be made up for by having one or two more Foundation Establishment cultivators.

“Fellow Daoist Lin, my grandson has exceptional talent. I painstakingly collected a Foundation Establishment Pill before, but Wen’er failed to break through, though he still touched the threshold.”

"I didn't want to watch my grandson miss the best time to establish his foundation, so I went to the Cloud Mist Mountains to gather some resources. Little did I expect that after finally gathering some, I'd be targeted by the calamity cultivators before I even returned."

At this point, Chen Qing's face was filled with sorrow. He had risked everything to obtain the resources, but in order to save his life, he had no choice but to make the difficult decision.

"Even I've fallen to this state."

Chen Qing's sorrowful smile left Lin Chang'an speechless for a moment.

There are many pitiful and pathetic people in the cultivation world. Even he is cautious. How could he have the right to pity others? He could only offer a polite word of comfort.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, please heal your injuries first."

Looking at Lin Chang'an's calm expression, Chen Qing smiled bitterly. Perhaps he had made a mistake back then, but he did not regret it.

After all, if a shortcut is right in front of you, how many people would be willing not to try it?
"Fellow Daoist Lin, we know our own situation. I have injured my vital energy this time, and I am afraid that I will suffer from a chronic illness. Even if I recover in the future, my lifespan will be greatly reduced. But my two grandsons cannot wait."

"Fellow Daoist, you are a mid-grade second-tier talisman master with extensive connections. I have come here today with great shame to ask for your help in purchasing two Foundation Establishment Pills. I am willing to pledge the deed to my spirit field to you."

Chen Qing smiled bitterly, not expecting to borrow spirit stones from Lin Chang'an for free, since they were not related.

Upon seeing the hundred acres of spiritual contracts, Lin Chang'an was also taken aback, for this was the very foundation upon which the Chen family had built its existence.

(End of this chapter)